Lynchburg couple flies to Hawaii, finds out negative COVID-19 results won't be accepted

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Ruth Garretson and her husband were expecting a relaxing anniversary trip to Hawaii. Garretson says it was smooth sailing until they reached Maui.
When they arrived, Garretson says they were informed their CDC-approved, negative COVID tests they got through MedExpress weren't going to cut it. She says they were told their tests had to be through Walgreens or CVS but Garretson says none of that ever came to light in their pre-trip research.
"Yes, they gave you a lot of different places you could test but it didn't make it sound like the place you tested was as important as the type of test," she said. 

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She says the airport gave them three options:

Go home

Go back to LAX and get a rapid test

Quarantine for 10 days.

The Garretson's opted for LAX and the rapid test, she says by doing that they lost a whole vacation day and over $1,200.
"Every single thing that happened from that moment until we got back to Maui was as if they were just after money," she said. 
She cautions everyone traveling that the best thing to do, is to get advice from someone that's traveled recently.

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The Department of Transportation for Hawaii provided the following statement:

The Hawaii Safe Travels team continually works to make Hawaii’s travel requirements during this ongoing pandemic clear through our messaging and on the website HawaiiCovid19.com. It is highly recommended that travelers research and understand the rules in place for the location they plan to visit. HawaiiCovid19.com is clearly and frequently highlighted on all State of Hawaii websites as well as many travel sites.

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Safe Travels Hawai‘i Overview



Aloha! The State of Hawai‘i Safe Travels Hawai‘i program is designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community from trans-Pacific passengers arriving at airports/ports across the Islands.
The program includes the required State of Hawai‘i Travel and Health Form, temperature screening at all Hawai‘i airports upon arrival, a vaccination exception program, and a pre-travel testing option to bypass the mandatory quarantine.
Travelers not participating in Safe Travels MUST quarantine for 10 days or the length of their stay, whichever is shorter.
It is important travelers consider the duration and considerable expense of possible quarantine before embarking.
Beginning June 15, 2021, individuals fully vaccinated in the State of Hawai‘i may enter the state without pre-travel testing/quarantine starting the 15th day after the completion of their vaccination. The vaccination record document must be uploaded onto Safe Travels and printed out prior to departure and the traveler must have a hard copy in hand when arriving in Hawai?i.
Read more about how your COVID-19 vaccination can help you travel between counties in Hawai‘i: HawaiiCOVID19.com/travel/faqs.
The pre-travel testing program remains available for all travelers NOT vaccinated in Hawai‘i.
All travelers, including those from Japan, Canada, Korea and Taiwan, and any domestic travelers not vaccinated in Hawai?i, who board a plane on the final leg of their trip to the Hawaiian Islands without first securing a negative test within 72 hours before departure will be subject to mandatory quarantine.
The state of Hawai‘i will ONLY accept Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) from a certified Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) lab test results from TRUSTED TESTING AND TRAVEL PARTNERS. Travelers will not be able to obtain a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) upon arrival at any Hawai?i airport

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